Picture Use in Ceramic DM
Hello Everyone,
Just a quick recap for some of the new guys as to what is expected and what is not expected in terms of picture use.
Picture as a Picture.
This is the classic no-no. For example, when you have a painting, and one of the characters steps into the room and "sees a painting of several fairies", then you have not really dealt with the topic of the picture. In short you've lost a whole stack of opportunities to take your story in some fantastic direction. Don't be nervous about taking a risk.
Picture as a Waypoint
This is normally considered suitable use but personally, it is one of the uses that I find annoying. This is where the interaction with the picture lasts little more than a sentence before the action moves on to something more interesting. Almost like the picture was included and referred to because you "had to include it". Sometimes, you'll get a picture that is impossible to deal with any other way and that's cool, just as long as the other picture's are doing something.
Picture Element Interpreted as a Theme
This is where you focus on a particular aspect of the picture (for example if you had two creatures enslaved in a jar being tormented by a kid). You might take the dominion theme and have it mean something important in your story - perhaps never referring to the exact picture. This use is a very difficult one to pull off but it is accepted. Sometimes, for a picture to fit, it cannot be interpreted literally. You have been warned though, when somebody tries this and it fails, it looks REALLY bad (as if you had not used the picture at all).
Picture an Intrinsic Part of the Story
This is what we hope you will do with all the images in some fantastic way that nobody would have thought of. This generally happens when you take certain elements of a picture and lead up to them, way before the picture is actually used; or when a character in one of these images is the dominant character and the image is the pivotal moment in the story. Or perhaps, somebody sees something in the picture and extends upon it in the most dramatic way, giving added meaning to both the image and the story. To me, this is the holy grail of picture use.
Take a look at the attachment below and think how you could use this image in a story. Seriously take a minute before reading the spoilered text.
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[sblock]This image-use was for me was the king of the last competition. Piratecat took this to be the dummy used by a child-killer as target practice. The twist... the shooter was being interviewed by a reporter who was stunned by his claim: it was his job to hunt down the messiah returned as a child, before the messiah could grow up bringing an apocalyptic end to the world. The soul of the messiah would then transfer to a new child and again, it was his job to consult an oracle and hunt the child down. Dramatic stuff to say the least.[/sblock]
Anyway, best of luck to all the competitors, I look forward to reading and judging your submissions.
Best Regards
Herremann the Wise
Feel free to handicap yourselves, though.
